1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to toy vehicles and, more particularly, to wheeled, battery operated toy vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Toy vehicles are typically adapted to only a single mode of operation. This is because toy vehicles are typically designed to optimally operate in a single end use environment. For example, some toy vehicles are designed as climbing toys and, thus, are intended only to be motor driven. Other types of toys are designed as free-wheeling vehicles which the user pushes, or allows to roll down an incline.
Surprisingly, the simple and desirable free-wheeling mode of use is generally not possible with many powered toy vehicles because the gear train in most toy vehicles is always engaged with the wheels. In such cases it is difficult or impossible for the wheels to rotate in the absence of motor operation and the toys cannot be operated in a true free-wheeling mode.
It is an object of the invention to provide a powered toy vehicle adapted for motor driven, battery powered operation, and in which the wheels can be disengaged from their gear train to permit free-wheeling use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a toy vehicle in which the motor is disengaged from the power source, e.g., the vehicle battery, in the free-wheeling mode.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a mode selector that is integrated with the power on/off switch.
The foregoing objects are realized in accordance with the invention by providing a toy vehicle adapted for selective motor driven operation and free-wheeling, unpowered push toy use. More specifically, an embodiment of the invention provides a wheeled toy vehicle which may be selectively motor driven or manually driven in a free wheeling mode, which comprises a chassis; at least one laterally extending axle having wheels mounted at each end thereof for rotation therewith; the chassis including a battery receptacle for releasably supporting an electrical battery; an electric motor mounted to the chassis and having a drive shaft extending therefrom at least substantially to at least one axle; a plurality of contact plates for electrically connecting a battery mounted in the battery receptacle to the motor for rotating the drive shaft, and including a first, resilient contact element for resiliently engaging a second contact structure; a gear train for transmitting rotation from the drive shaft to the axle, including a worm for being rotated according to rotation of the drive shaft and a worm gear mounted to the axle, the worm gear being selectively operatively engaged with the worm for being rotated thereby, the axle being freely rotatable relative to the worm when the worm gear is disengaged from the worm; and manually manipulatable switch structure for selectively displacing the worm gear relative to the axle for selectively operatively engaging the worm gear and the worm and selectively disengaging the worm gear from the worm, to selectively transmit rotation of the worm via the worm gear to the axle for motor driven operation and to selectively interrupt transmission of rotation of the worm to the axle for free-wheeling operation, respectively, a portion of the switch structure engaging the resilient contact structure upon lateral displacement of the switch structure to displace the worm gear axially along the axle to disengage said worm gear from said worm, thereby to disengage the first contact structure from the second contact structure and, thereby, electrically disconnect the battery receptacle and the motor.
The invention is also embodied in a wheeled toy vehicle comprising: a chassis having end walls, side walls, and top and bottom walls defining at least one interior compartment; first and second axles having wheels mounted to each longitudinal end thereof mounted to the chassis for rolling rotation; the chassis defining a battery compartment for supporting an electrical battery oriented such that a longitudinal axis thereof extends generally longitudinally of the chassis between the first and second axles; an electric motor mounted in the interior compartment of the chassis and having a drive shaft extending generally longitudinally at least from the motor substantially to the first axle; a worm operatively coupled to the motor shaft so as to be rotated thereby; an output gear selectively operatively coupled to the worm so as to be driven by the worm, the output gear being coaxially mounted to the first axle; a hub fixedly mounted to the first axle; the output gear being axially slidable relative to the first axle from a first position in which the output gear is axially offset from and disengaged from the hub, disengaged from the worm, and rotatable relative to the first axle, and a second position in which the output gear is operatively engaged with the hub and operatively engaged with the worm for transmitting rotation of the worm to the hub structure, thereby to rotate the first axle; mode selecting structure mounted so as to be laterally slidable relative to the drive shaft, the mode selecting structure being engaged with the output gear so that lateral displacement of the mode selecting structure displaces the output gear axially along the first axle into and out of engagement with the hub, the output gear being rotatable relative to the mode selecting structure; and electrical contact structure for selectively transmitting electric power from a battery the in battery compartment to the motor.
In a presently preferred embodiment, lateral displacement of the mode selecting structure to dispose the output gear in the first position interrupts the transmission of electrical power to the motor.